Sunday, September 28, 2008

Inspired by Penny! Oriental...For Sure

***Dedicated to the person who always (well, not all the time) takes me to the grocery store. Even though she makes me buy her stuff just to take me (what are friends for, right) to the store - I'm still dedicating this post to her - lol - hey!***

So, I ended up at one of my faves...it's Penny's Noodle Shop. I think there are two in the Chicago area; I go to the one in Oak Park. They're a great place - I love them. I almost always get this soup that's like a broth with vermicelli and beef and some type of crispy roll. It's always on point. So, inspired, I figured I'd try my luck at something similar at home. Good idea because it turned out totally awesome. So, I present to you the DTW version of Beef Soup (that I really made with chicken stock) and Chicken Crispy Rolls.Oh, I should mention that I'm always upset because you typically don't get enough of the noodles (hence the name of the joint) with the soup. So, I increased the amount - and of course I amped up the beef too - lol. It proved to be worth it. The recipe calls for cilantro - but, guess what - I had none. So imagine the picture above just the way it is - but with cilantro. Wanna know why I have no cilantro? Well because of the Mexican affair (and a second round of fish tacos during the week) I had last weekend. ANYWAY, enough of me talking - here are the recipes and the pics which are in no particular order!

Beef Noodle Soup

-¼ lb. of whole wheat vermicelli

½ medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups of chicken stock

1 pound of bottom round steak, cut into strips

2 table spoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of five spice powder

Salt and pepper

Cilantro, to taste

In a pot, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add bottom round and cook until well done and seared. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.Add five spice powder and a dash of salt and pepper. Add vermicelli and cook until done. Top with cilantro and serve.

Any non-flavored high temperature cooking oil for frying (canola, corn, or vegetable)

Brown ground chicken and onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until cooked well. Remove from pan and add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add cabbage, peas, carrots, and sweet bell peppers until heated through but still with a bite. Remove from pan and combine with chicken, onions, and seasonings (salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder). After well combined taste and adjust if necessary.Using a tablespoon as a guide, add a spoonful of the mixture to the egg roll wrapper. Wrap (I show you how below) and then fry in 375 degree oil on both sides until golden brown.The finished product! Why this pic is first I'll never know!Fyring up the crispy rolls. Notice that cast iron skillet?

Just starting to fry.

Finished rolling - ready to fry it.

The finished step. Use a touch of water to seal the deal.

Step 5 - Roll the wrapper leaving the top edge available so you can seal it

The ground turkey (or chicken if you don't forget like I did) and veggies mixture.

Step 1 - spooning a tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom-center of the wrapper

Step 2 - Fold the bottom into the middle.

Step 3 - Fold the left side into the middle.

Step 4 - Fold the right side into the middle.

The onions and garlic for the soup.

The beef, garlic, and onions for the soup.

Ground turkey and onions. I know the recipe says chicken, but I took out turkey by mistake. Just as tasty though.

Prepping the veggies. And yes - those peas and carrots are TOTALLY frozen.

I went to Pennys in Bucktown when I used to work nearby. It was good. CS and I love the University Villages and Chinatowns Joy Yees. Some disagree, but you shlould check it out if you havent. So much from all regions and the best value.

@ Nuria - thanks so much. I never really cook Asain either. I'm just trying my hand at my interpretation of a great meal I always have.

@ laughingwolf - you're totally welcome!

@ Boredntalkative - I did make soup. LOL - look at the recipe, there's stock - it's a broth. It's in there - kinda. The restaurant always gives TONS of broth and no noodles - so during my interpretation I upped the noodles and downsized the amount of broth. LOL - but there's broth in there - you just can't see it.

Those crispy rolls look great! I'm allergic to Turkey though, so ground (or maybe shredded) chicken would have to do for me.

I have a great Asian soba noodle and seaweed soup recipe that I love. I had to recreate the soup after my favorite Japanese resturant closed. Inspiration comes from many places and why buy it when you can make it yourself!

I made Botanas last night - I put pictures up too, come take a look when you have a sec.

::drool:: Wow...Asian food cooked in a cast iron skillet. Now THAT's what I call talent, lol. Asian food is my fave cuisine & I just thank you for the step by step instructions that we can try. Everything looks absolutely delicious....I feel like I can smell the food from here.

About Me

one person. many facets. i cook. i blog. i bake. i create. i develop. i employ. i encourage. i thirst. i hunger. i feed. i quench. i speak. i listen. i engage. i deploy. i call. i answer. i depend. i provide. i lean. i support. and at the end of the day, i seek to do it all being worth at least $1M.

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It's simple - this is a blog about simple, everyday dining and cooking from the young African-American urban experience.

Life is full of surprises, meals don't have to be. Everything I cook will be simple, healthy, fresh, and most of all- it will taste phenomenal. Get ready for sights, recipes, comments, and photos that will make you the absolute best at EVERYDAY COOKING!